1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the electrical arts. More particularly, the present invention pertains to systems and methods for providing a low voltage lighting system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Low voltage incandescent lighting systems are well known in this country. Typical applications include indoor specialty, task and feature lighting and outdoor landscape lighting. Since Edison's invention of the “Electric-Lamp” and Tesla's pioneering work on transformers in the 1880's, the technology required to build similar low voltage lighting systems has been available. Mass production and more recently the proliferation of low cost manufacturers overseas have placed low voltage lighting systems within the economic reach of virtually every homeowner.
Despite the success of low voltage lighting systems in the marketplace, their technological evolution has been slow. Having experienced only small advances such as longer life bulbs and the addition of mechanical timers to “high-end” transformers, today's low voltage lighting systems are little changed from those made over fifty years ago. Most commonly, a network of electric circuits is still used to directly interconnect a transformer and “Electric-Lamps”.
There are a number of good reasons to find improvements over the Edison/Tesla solution. First is that the present system is wasteful. Utilization of an AC power source in low voltage power circuits results in high circuit currents. This problem frequently cannot be cured by simply raising the source voltage. The result is that conductors within a circuit that have the capacity to carry the required power are nevertheless unable to do so when a voltage limitation is imposed. The common solution is that larger conductors are used and valuable resources are wasted.
The second reason to seek out improvements over the traditional technology is that installers have problems installing these systems. Because high currents flow in the circuits interconnecting the bulbs and the transformer, unacceptably large voltage drops frequently occur during installation. Even experienced installers can be forced to adopt a trial-and-error approach to relocating bulbs, pulling more wire, and perhaps changing transformer taps if they are available. Because of this problem, the man-hour cost of installing low voltage lighting systems is increased. In addition, the installer's cure for the excessive voltage drop problem often wastes resources in the form of more wire, larger transformers, and/or additional transformers.
A final reason to improve on what has been done for so many years is that traditional low voltage lighting systems reach only a fraction of their potential to please homeowners and onlookers. Because traditional systems typically utilize a single transformer, all the bulbs are turned either on or off. Even in systems with multiple transformers, there is no facility to coordinate their operation or to vary bulb intensity at will. Those who have installed multiple transformers with integral timers will recognize that it is this lack of coordination problem that requires them to reset not just one, but multiple timers after a power outage.